A man who posed as comedian Peter Kay's brother to scam cash from pub landlords has pleaded guilty to fraud. Peter Stead claimed he was Danny Kay, the brother of Phoenix Nights star Peter, when he offered to put on comedy nights in Derby, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

Police said 50-year-old Stead, of no fixed address but previously of Mackworth, Derbyshire, was working as a conman under the ruse of fundraising for the Lewis Mighty Fund, a charity raising money for a boy named Lewis who died of cancer last year. The man was given cash by landlords to secure the bookings. But when he failed to deliver, police became suspicious.

Stead pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud at Derby crown court on Friday, and was remanded in custody before sentencing on 21 June.

Police had been searching for Stead since 2009 until he was arrested in Derby.

Barbara Cathcart, chief executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, which runs the Lewis Mighty Fund, described Stead's actions as "beyond disrespectful" to Lewis's memory and the work of his family and supporters.

She said: "It is truly deplorable that he would use the name of a brave young cancer victim for his own gain. We'd like to reassure all our supporters that we have strict safeguards against fraudulent fundraising and would ask that anyone who has concerns about someone claiming to fundraise for the Lewis Mighty Fund contacts us directly, to ensure the fundraising is legitimate and genuine.

"We'd also like to thank the thousands of people who have proved that goodwill prevails by continuing to raise money for the Lewis Mighty Fund, and we want to encourage our supporters to keep up their fantastic work."